MA Archaeology of Death and Memory

The Master’s in Archaeology of Death and Memory is a unique, exciting, cross-period and geographically-broad postgraduate programme. It allows students to study and gain advanced expertise in the archaeological study of how past societies remembered and commemorated their own histories and mythologies.

The course explores the cross-disciplinary study of death, memory and material culture using cutting-edge archaeological theory and method. Students gain opportunities of investigate death and burial in both prehistoric and historic societies from Britain, Europe, Scandinavia and elsewhere across the globe. Students also explore the archaeology of the human body and the archaeology of memory through a diverse range of material cultures. The programme culminates in a research dissertation in which students can choose, design and investigate their own interest in the archaeology of death and memory.

Why study Archaeology of Death and Memory at Chester?

The MA in Archaeology of Death and Memory is taught by internationally recognised experts in mortuary archaeology and the archaeology of memory. The course gives students a firm foundation in groundbreaking research linking archaeology to a range of other disciplines including history, sociology, anthropology and theology. Students can build on their existing interests and gain in-depth knowledge of an exciting and dynamic field of archaeological research while learning about themes relevant to a range of other humanities subjects. Simultaneously, students develop a wide range of transferable advanced research skills equipping them for a range of careers and for further study towards a PhD in Archaeology.

Features:

This is the only Master’s programme of its kind in the world. Nowhere else can Master’s students explore in depth the archaeology of death and memory. While centred on archaeological theory and method, the programme is truly cross-disciplinary, exploring death and memory through a range of sources and disciplinary perspectives. The MA in Archaeology of Death and Memory provides a unique opportunity for students to debate and challenge their own views of what it means to be mortal, why and how we try to remember and forget the dead using a wide range of material cultures and how the human body – living and dead – is key to understanding the way societies work with memory.